Rate Article:

Karim Benzema will not make any attempt to persuade Didier Deschamps to take him to the World Cup, the Real Madrid star telling the France coach:"If you need me, you know where I am".

Benzema has not played for his country since October 2015 after being charged in connection with an alleged blackmail of his French teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

Deschamps admitted in August last year that his motivation in ignoring the 30-year-old was maintaining squad harmony while France have other options up front in Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Anthony Martial and Ousmane Dembele.

Benzema, however, has been a regular at Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane this season and, on ability alone, would almost certainly make the squad in Russia this summer.

"I am 30 years old, I have two children, I am calm here, if you need me, you know where I am," Benzema said in an interview published on Tuesday by the Spanish edition of Vanity Fair.